After the Fact
by CJSeaborn1800
Summary: Second part of Crime and Punishment you don't have to have read origional to understand but it would help! Erik Receives a letter from Christine with a strange request
1. Chapter 1

"So there is nothing I can do to change your mind?"

"Absolutely not,"

"And you know I am miserable?"

"Yes,"

"And you are comfortable with that knowledge?"

"Very much so,"

"I hate you,"

"I love you too,"

Bernadette and I had held this conversation more than once since the letter had arrived. She was not thrilled; nor was I but we were going anyway.

CJ was sitting beside me; a wry smile on her lips after the conversation we had just had. She placed her hand over mine and leaned her head on my shoulder.

The motor car we were in sputtered as it travailed down the gravel road; I had not wanted to take a car; they were unreliable and loud and they smelled like hell, but carriages were fast becoming a thing of the past and this was the only way we could reach our destination.

Our destination was an odd one and the cause of much debate in my family. About a month prior to the current July afternoon, we had received a letter from Christine. These were not unusual; after the incident with her son, she had constantly sent letters to us conveying her thanks and asking about our well being.

I had not wanted to respond but CJ had told me I was being childish so I was forced to at letter opener point. I had thought she would eventually stop writing, but she kept up correspondence. I had not seen her often; every once and a while in the streets. When we did meet we had slightly awkward conversations about our families and then said goodbye.

However, her last letter had been different; she had made a request.

Usually Christine kept her letters short, but this one had been quite lengthy. She never said much about her son Henri, other than simple details and I had gathered that he was fine.

It seemed that he was not. I had thought perhaps something like this might happen, after the traumatic events of his childhood. Christine had explained that after the kidnapping, Henri had become very secluded. He only liked to be around his parents and he shied away from even the house servants. He was privately tutored and refused to meet any other children his age.

His parents had appeased him, but they both agreed that now that he was 16, it was best that he socialize. There was an upcoming party they were going to bring him to; a formal ball really, and Henri knew no one who was going to be there and he was currently the only boy going without a female date

Bernadette was his age; 16. That was what Christine had asked, that we come and visit them, of course she had worked in that we were invited to this gala and wouldn't it be nice for her son to meet our daughter.

CJ had been against the entire endeavor, but I had convinced her it was worth doing; I knew what it was to loath the public eye and not want to socialize with anyone; and it was no way to live.

And so we found ourselves traveling down a dirt road in the French countryside, headed for the de Chagny estate. It was an odd situation; that I of all people would be helping someone with their social skills, but such is life.

Bernadette was looking out the window with her green eyes narrowed; she had complained adamantly about this trip; she had said she hated the country, though she had never been there, and that she did not want to leave all of her friends in the city. We reminded her that it was only for a month or so that we would be gone, but she hated the idea none the less.

She was a good natured girl and I could not have wished for a better daughter; she was bright with a beautiful voice and a real talent with the piano. All and all she reminded me very much of her mother. Normally she showed great enthusiasm for everything she did; however this one trip did not appeal to her at all.

She was beautiful like CJ was; at 16 she looked like a grown woman and this bothered me to no end. To me, she was still the little girl I used to pick up off the ground and hold in my arms.

Bernadette sighed and turned to me,

"You said they had a horse?"

Ever since we had put her on one of the mounted policeman's horses she had been addicted. CJ and I had been put on mounted duty for a time; the slim, fast body of a horse had many advantages over the cumbersome carriage.

"I think they have several," I told her,

"And I will be able to ride them?"

"I don't see why not,"

She smiled at me, "I am being a pain, aren't I?"

"A bit of a pain, yes," I said lightly,

"How much longer will it take to get there?" Bernadette asked me,

"I don't know, I told you I have never been there before,"

We continued to drive through the country side; the grass was a bright green and trees lined the road, throwing a slight shadow over our path. It had been some time since I had seen anything but the manmade cityscape and I had forgotten what an impact nature alone can have on the observer.

"My God…I forgot the countryside," CJ breathed next to me; voicing what I was thinking, "I have not seen this much of it since I was a little girl,"

"Where did you grow up again?" Bernadette asked her; she had heard stories of our past millions of times, or course some details such as my career as opera ghost had been omitted, and as many times as she had heard them she never tired of hearing them over again,

"You know where I grew up; on the coast of England,"

"And your father was a pirate?" She spoke with wide eyed enthusiasm; her adventurous sprit which had developed during her childhood had never diminished and I had the sneaking suspicion that she would end up in a wild adventure of her own

Of course I wanted none of this; I wanted her to stay in her room and play the piano until she was thirty years of age. Much to my dismay, I discovered I could not keep her under such surveillance, and CJ constantly reminded me that we had to trust her. I told her I did trust our daughter; it was everyone else that bothered me.

"Yes, he was, but he was also a very sweet man,"

"How can you be both a pirate and a sweet man?"

"You will have to ask him,"

"You always say that!" Bernadette playfully hit CJ's knee,

"I know, you should know the answer by now,"

It looked like our excitable daughter was going to say more, but suddenly she stopped. She was looking open mouthed out the window,

"It that the house?"


	2. Meetings

The de Chagny manor, I hated to admit, was quite impressive. It was a grand house with sweeping lawns; bright green grass and large, square flower gardens bursting with bright buds of many colors.

Bernadette's jaw hung open; there were no places like this in the city.

"This place is amazing," she whispered,

"I thought anyone who lived in the country was a backward hick," I said wryly; Bernadette had often said she did not understand why anyone would not want to live in the city. This was partially because she had never seen some of the poverty and rotten conditions in Paris. After Bernadette had turned four; CJ and I realized that we had enough money saved to move into a better house in a better part of Paris.

CJ had published several more books under her pen name of Christopher Johnson Eriksson and she had received considerable pay for them. I had decided to submit a piece of work to the Paris Opera; and to my delight it had been accepted and performed to much acclaim. These additionally funds; along with pay from the police station, had allowed up to purchase a modest house in a respectable area.

The piano from our old house had been nearly impossible to move; I had been forced to take it apart and then reconstruct it again in the new house; a task CJ had been particularly proud of me for.

Marie stayed with us; Meg was deeply involved in England and hardly ever visited and Marie was glad to have some type of family. Even now, when Bernadette clearly did not need a nurse, Marie still lived with us. She no longer took pay; she was sort of a grandmother to Bernadette and a mother to both CJ and me.

Currently, Marie was staying alone in the house while we were on our little trip. It had been hell trying to get the time off from work, but even Dumas had had to admit we had it coming; we hardly ever missed a day of work. I had also been promoted to Lieutenant Phann; CJ could not technically move up any farther in the station because she was a woman and it was not seemly according to Dumas; however he did increase her pay anyway and she was still my partner.

The car sputtered to a stop in front of the house. I opened the door and stepped out; allowing CJ and then Bernadette to come out after me. Our driver bustled about with our luggage and we walked up toward the front door.

I felt an odd churning in my stomach; up to that point I had been thinking only about convincing Bernadette it would not be so bad and convincing CJ we were not allowing the de Chagny's to use our daughter that I had not thought about actually seeing Christine and Raoul de Chagny.

It had been some time since I had been around either of them; years and years since the opera. It seemed like a lifetime ago. As I stood before the large front door of their mansion I realized just how awkward this was going to be, and just how desperate they must have been to call upon my for help with their son, and the fact that their son could very well be an annoying boy like his father and I was forcing my daughter to socialize with him.

I was ready to turn and get back into the car when the door opened.

"Ah, Monsieur and Madame Phann, and Mademoiselle, we have been expecting you; please come in," A fat, short butler had come to the door and now he beckoned for the three of us to follow him.

We walked into the grand foyer; I did not want to be impressed with this place, but it was very impressive. There were high ceiling and I noted the sparkling chandelier over our heads and allowed an ironic smile to cross my face,

"I will inform the Vicomte and Vicomtess that you have arrived, wait here please," The butler bowed and walked off into the house.

"This place is amazing," Bernadette said, looking wide eyed around the room, "Look at that chandelier! It looks like it belongs in an opera house or a theater!"

"Maybe your father can take it down for you and we can move it into an opera house," CJ muttered beside me with a smile, and I shifter uncomfortably. CJ and I had agreed that Bernadette never needed to know anything about my past in the opera house, but I imagined that the situation was too ironic for CJ not to comment.

"What?" Bernadette asked, turning to her mother, "I did not hear you,"

"I was simply agreeing with you; the chandelier is quite impressive," CJ said smoothly, and Bernadette nodded and walked toward the side of the room, examining a tapestry hanging on the wall,

"Thank you, for that comment," I muttered to CJ, wrapping my arm around her waist and pressing my lips to her ear,

CJ laughed, "I am sorry, but you stood under that one," I shook my head and pressed my hand harder into her stomach,

CJ turned in my embrace and faced me, "Are you sure we should really be here?" she looked up into my eyes searchingly,

She looked quite beautiful at that moment; her green eyes glittering in the sun which was pouring into the foyer and her perfect lips drawn slightly in concern. I cupped her face in my hand and stroked her jaw with my thumb. She wrapped her arms around my waist,

"I don't know," I said honestly, "I thought we should try to help; if this boy really is locking himself away in his room…" I trailed off but I knew CJ knew what I meant; she understood that I saw part of my own situation in this boy; I had tried to cut myself off from society as well, and it had made me miserable.

CJ nodded, "It won't be that bad anyway; look at this house, it can be like the honeymoon we never had," She smiled up at me and I appreciated her ability to see the good in a situation,

"Now that is an idea I like," I murmured in CJ's ear and I wrapped my arm around her again and pulled her closer to me. She emitted a small, very girlish laugh and let her head fall onto my chest,

It was quite a pleasant moment; which inevitably meant that it was at this moment that Raoul and Christine de Chagny came down from the top of the staircase. They both looked exactly as I remembered them; Christine still looked as beautiful as ever, however her brown eyes lacked that sparkle CJ had.

My eyes left Christine, paused for only a second on Raoul, before they darted to the boy who was standing meekly behind his father. He looked exactly like Raoul except for his brown eyes which belonged to Christine.

Henri de Chagny had all the appearance of a normal young man; he was tall and fair faced as his father had been, but his manner suggested what Christine had written about; he was shy and secluded, he dropped his eyes when he saw us and he looked as though he wanted to turn and run rather than face meeting new people. I knew the feeling…

"How delightful to see you all!" Christine exclaimed in the trained aristocratic voice woman of her status must adapt and use when ever they welcome anyone into their home, "How was the trip from Paris?" she came down the stairs and extended her hand to me,

I took in and lightly brushed her knuckles with my lips, "It was tolerable," I said stiffly, and I felt the definite awkwardness of the situation,

CJ laughed beside me, "Listen to him! You would think he had to walk all the way here carrying his house on his back!" CJ embraced Christine, "The trip here was wonderful; it has been some time since I saw this much of the countryside,"

I threw a thankful look at CJ; she was very talented when it came to defusing an awkward situation. Raoul de Chagny was coming down the stairs now, practically pulling his son behind him.

It was at this moment that Bernadette, who had been looking into another room, came up and stood beside me. I happened to be watching the faces of Raoul and Henri de Chagny as Bernadette appeared;

Raoul de Chagny stared at her as though he was shocked to see her for a moment, and then his face cleared and he smiled,

"You must be Bernadette Phann," he took her hand and kissed it lightly, "I remember when you were just a little girl,"

I saw Bernadette bite her lip and I knew exactly what she wanted to say; something to the affect of 'I was going to say the same thing about you,' and I hoped she would refrain because if she did say that, I would most certainly dissolve into a pool of laughter,

"Pleased to meet you, Monsieur," was what Bernadette said, and I breathed a sigh of relief,

"What a well mannered girl," Raoul de Chagny smiled at her and I felt the urge to slap that charming grin off of his foppish face, "But you must call me Raoul!"

"Oh, no, I could not," Bernadette said, looking side long at me and raising her eyebrows,

"You must! You are my guests here, and I will not have this formality!" Raoul de Chagny continued smiling, "Now for introductions; I believe the four of us know each other," he indicated myself and CJ and himself and Christine, "Bernadette, this is my wife Christine," she and Christine exchanged a quick embrace, "And this is my son, Henri," Raoul put his hands on his son's shoulders and pushed him forward,

"Henri, this is Erik and CJ Phann, and this is their daughter Bernadette,"

Bernadette extended a hand to the now trembling boy who looked at her as though she were out of her mind,

"Say how do you do, Henri," I heard Raoul hiss into Henri's ear,

Henri reached out and brought Bernadette's hand to his lips. I do not think that he had even touched her had before he let go and promptly turned and hurried back up the stairs, tripping slightly in his hurry to retreat.

"That damn boy," Raoul de Chagny muttered,

"Don't be too hard on him darling," Christine said in a soothing tone, "He did much better than I thought he would, and he improved since the last time he met someone,"

"What did he do the last time he met someone?" CJ asked curiously,

Christine sighed, "He vomited all over her,"

I shook my head; you had to be very nervous to vomit on someone; I knew this because I remembered the extreme nausea I had felt when I was forced to meet people before I met CJ,

"I want to think you all for coming," Christine said, desperately trying to be the proper hostess despite her stress concerning her son, "The butler will take you to your rooms; if you wish to freshen up before dinner," and with a gracious smile she motioned to the butler, who had returned and was standing by the grand staircase.

CJ, Bernadette, and I followed him up the stairs,

"This will be your room, Mademoiselle," the butler said to Bernadette and he opened a door on the right side of the hallway; Bernadette entered,

"This room is gigantic!" she exclaimed, "And it is beautiful!" I peered into the room she was standing in and saw a grad four poster bed with white linins and an oak chest, a full mirror, a vanity, and an adjoining bathroom. She turned around and stared at me, grinning widely,

"I apologize for any complaint I may have made about coming here; and if I get puked on, at least I can wash off in this lavish bathroom," she laughed,

"Apology accepted," I smiled back at her, "We will see you at dinner,"

The butler led us further down the hall,

"This will be your room Monsieur," and he opened the door to reveal another four poster bed made of dark wood with green linins,

"And Madame your room will be right over here," the butler spoke to CJ and began to open a door across the hallway. I then remembered that it was customary for aristocrat couples to sleep in separate rooms,

CJ did not move, "I am going to be staying in the same room as my husband," she explained,

"In the _same_ _room_?" the butler said, sounding scandalized,

CJ rolled her eyes, "We have a daughter for Christ's sake! We have slept together every night for the past nineteen years!" the butler looked shocked at her,

"Madame it would not be proper…"

"You do not tell me what is proper," CJ said shortly, "I will be staying with my husband, and I will be making mad, passionate love to him every night; now go and do whatever you butler's do,"

I thought this would be a good end to the conversation and I scooped CJ up in my arms and carried her into the room; kicking the door shut and no doubt leaving the butler offended in the hall,

I lay CJ down on the bed, then I lay beside her. For a few moments all we could do was laugh, then I managed to ask,

"So…every night?" I grinned wickedly,

"Twice every night," CJ said back to me, "It has been so long since we have had time like this," She rolled onto her side and threw her arm over my chest,

"I could live with that," I said, pulling her closer to me,

"I wish we could just stay here," CJ said, her face against my chest,

"I know," I sighed; it was a very comfortable bed and I could have lay there with CJ in my arms all night, "So what do you think of Henri de Chagny?" I asked curiously,

"He is a handsome young man," CJ said, "It is a shame he is so shy; Christine said he has been this way ever since the kidnapping?"

"Yes," I kissed the top of CJ's head, "The trauma of the kidnapping; and then the way they let him just be alone, he is to used to it, and he had not developed his social skills…I remember wanting to vomit when I met people…before…"

"Before you and I were together?" CJ asked,

"Yes,"

"Hmmm…" CJ moved closer to me, pushing her head into my chest; "I think we had better just go to dinner now…because I am going to fall asleep if we stay like this,"

I grunted in agreement and we left our room.


	3. Dinner and Dessert

Dinner was a very uncomfortable meal; Raoul de Chagny sat at the head with Christine on his left and his son on his right. I was seated at the other end of the table; leaves had been taken out in order to shorten the table to a suitable length, and CJ was on my left and Bernadette on my right.

We sat for awhile in awkward silence before Christine made a valiant attempt as conversation,

"Bernadette, what have you been doing this summer?" Christine smiled brightly if not uncomfortably,

"Oh…I have been…" she shrugged, "My father has been teaching me to do magic tricks with cards,"

CJ laughed, "Bernadette, we teach you everything; literature, music, arithmetic, and you chose to talk about card tricks?"

She tossed her long, sleek black hair over her shoulder and smiled, "I thought making the joker appear as the top card was more interesting than _Pilgrims Progress_,"

I snorted, "We never _made_ you read that book; you started it and then you wanted to finish it," I smiled slightly when I thought of how stubborn she had been when it came to finishing that novel, a stubbornness I believed she got from me,

"All the same; I think the card tricks were the most interesting thing I have done this summer," And she looked significantly at me,

I sighed and CJ rolled her eyes, "Bernadette has been complaining about wanting to join the chorus at the opera," CJ said, turning to address Christine, Raoul, and Henri,

"Oh! Are you interested in music or dance?" Christine exclaimed,

"I enjoy both; I might be a better singer though," Bernadette stated,

"Well, given your father's history, I do not doubt that you are a brilliant musician," Christine smiled at my daughter, and I hoped that she would be tactful enough to not say too much about my past at the opera;

All we had told Bernadette was that we had once saved the de Chagny's son; she had been too young to remember the time when it had actually happened; and that I had known Christine previously when I had aspired to write music for the Paris Opera.

"Yes, Father has taught me a great deal about music," I saw Raoul de Chagny shutter slightly at this statement and the table lapsed into silence once again.

The first course of our dinner was served and we eat in silence, and then to my surprise, a meek voice spoke,

"H-How d-do you do it?" We all looked up and stared at Henri de Chagny, whose eyes darted from Bernadette to the unfinished food on his plate,

I glanced over to see that Raoul and Christine were practically holding their breath and looking from their son to my daughter,

"Pardon?" Bernadette said, and I winced slightly because Bernadette was not used to overly shy people; I had finally outgrown the habit and everyone else she knew and respected; CJ, Marie, the men at the station, were all much like her; bold.

She did not understand that as she locked her bright eyes on him and demanded that he repeat himself she was intimidating the hell out of him,

"I-I w-was wondering," he said softly, and I noted that he stuttered slightly; something people did when they were very unsure of themselves, "H-how you do the trick with the cards?"

All eyes went to Bernadette and waited for her to respond,

"Oh!" She flashed a large smile, "Sorry, I did not hear you before," She ran a hand through her black hair, "It is really quite simple; you have to use magic," Bernadette spoke in a good natured voice, but I sighed inwardly and wished she had just told the boy how to do the trick instead of giving him a coy answer she would have given any other boy she was talking to,

As someone who knew what it was to feel awkward and at a complete loss around woman I knew that now the de Chagny boy was probably feeling as though she had denied him a true answer due to the fact that she did not want to speak to him,

By the way the boy dropped his eyes to his plate and by the way his hand shook slightly when he picked up his fork I was right. I felt a pang of sympathy which surprised me to no end. If someone had told me that one day I would feel sympathy toward a de Chagny I would have laughed them out of the room. However I knew what this boy was going through; he had most likely worked up all his courage to speak and Bernadette had not given him an answer he knew how to respond to,

I did not blame my daughter in the least; she was trying to be kind and funny and in any other situation she would have been absolutely charming. I blamed the boy's parent's who has let him become so secluded and shy, but more over I blamed the weasel who had decided he could kidnap a child and tie him in a basement.

Bernadette looked at me questioningly, and with one glance to make sure Henri was not watching her, she mouthed a question to me,

"What did I say?"

I shook my head and motioned for her to keep eating. The rest of the dinner was taken in relative silence and I was quite happy when we left the dining room and headed upstairs for the night.

Henri ran off toward his room and Raoul and Christine excused themselves as well. As we said goodnight to Bernadette she pulled at my arm and whispered,

"What did I do wrong at dinner? Why did…Henri…that was him name, wasn't it?" I nodded, "Why did he seem so upset?"

"You did not do anything wrong, dear," I told her, "He…he went through a lot as a child; just be the sweet charming girl you are toward him, won't you?"

She nodded, "I can try; no promises though," she grinned at me,

"Goodnight Dette," CJ said as she embraced her, "Sleep well,"

"I will," she said back, "See you in the morning,"

CJ and I went quickly to our room and shut the door. I had no sooner locked the door behind me than we fell on the bed,

It seemed that with all the time spent on work and raising a child there had been little for ourselves; but not this night.

I hungrily pressed my lips to CJ's, pulling off the dress she was wearing and taking her underneath me as she tugged the bottom of my shirt out of my trousers…

"Eri…!" CJ began to cry out as she reached the point of her highest pleasure; worried she would wake the whole house I pressed my lips to hers to muffle her voice,

I pressed her lips harder; opening her mouth to mine as I thrust into her once more, finally releasing inside of her. I collapsed on top of her, holding her close, filled with pleasure, and then I froze,

"Oh no CJ…we forgot to use the…"

"I know; but I would have your child again," CJ smiled at me,

"You would go through another pregnancy?" I lifted my head and stared at her,

"To have your child, yes," and she played absently with a lock of my hair; I kissed her deeply,

"I love you CJ," I whispered to her,

"I love you to," and she wrapped her arms around me


	4. Eavesdropping

I was quite tired and ready for sleep. Reluctantly I dislodged myself from CJ's arms and turned down all the lights in the room. Returning to the bed I slid close to CJ; closing my eyes I was on the verge of sleeping when CJ shook me,

"Erik?" She whispered,

"What?" I grumbled,

"My locket; I can't find it," She sounded worried and she was grabbing at her neck; CJ always wore the silver locket I had given her for our first Christmas together and now she was distraught that it was missing,

"I had it at dinner, I know I did," she said frantically as she jumped out of bed and wrapped a robe around her,

"Is this going to be a thing where we don't sleep until you find it?" I groaned; in my exhausted state I was not one for sentiment; I would buy her another damn locket if it was that important to her,

"Erik!" she said, putting her hands on her hips, "That locket means a lot to me; even if it means nothing to you,"

I sighed; this was going to be a thing. I forced myself out of the bed and took out the robe I had brought from home. I walked over to CJ and kissed her softly on the top of her head;

"I will go down and look in the dinning room, you can check in here,"

"Thank you Erik,"

I trudged out of the room; I did not mind doing things for my wife; I would do much more for her if I could, but at this moment I was simply exhausted. We had been very busy at the police station and as we were going to be taking time off we had had to work a string of very long hours to compensate. I blinked in the dark hallway; my sight in the dark had never left me and I did not take a candle with me as I walked to the dinning room.

I searched all over but I did not find the locket. I had given up and was heading back to tell CJ the bad news when I heard voices coming from one of the bedroom doors. I identified the voices immediately as Christine and Raoul,

"I told you, everything will be fine," Christine was saying, and I could not help but want to stop and listen, so I stood in the dark hallway and strained my ears to catch every word through the thick wooden doors;

"Well, so far, but she has no idea how to act in society!" Raoul exclaimed, and I felt hot because I suspected he was talking about my daughter,

"You saw her Raoul; she will be the most beautiful girl by far, everyone will love her," Christine assured him

"She is beautiful; she looks a great deal like her mother," Raoul stated and I clenched my fists; normally this would have been a complement but coming from him it felt as though he were trying to encroach upon my territory,

"You think CJ is beautiful?" Christine asked, and I noticed a hint of irritation in her voice,

"She is a beautiful woman, Christine, just like her daughter,"

"You never say that I am beautiful anymore," Christine pouted,

Raoul must have thrown something because there was a loud noise and I heard Christine try to shush him,

"Do not say that to me, Christine; do not act as though _I _am the one who does not care for _you_," Raoul hissed angrily

"I do care for you Raoul!" Christine sounded distressed,

"You care for me but you have always _loved_ him!" He shouted and I heard Christine gasp,

"I don't know what I was thinking letting you invite him here," Raoul continued,

"I am not in love with him!" Christine snapped,

"Maybe not; but you desire him, you think about him, I can see it in your eyes!"

"Raoul, be quiet," Christine hissed, "You will wake Henri,"

"And what will he do? Come crying to him mother? Honestly Christine you gave me the most useless son in the history of France," Raoul spoke with indifference and I could not believe he was being so cold toward his own son, when it was his fault that his son had been kidnapped in the first place,

"Don't say that Raoul, don't you dare say that, Henri is just shy; he will grow out of it, and I think that with Bernadette…" Christine sounded close to tears,

"Bernadette is a goddess for Christ sake! Every man in France will be chasing her and she will not look twice and your son," Raoul burst out angrily and I made a mental note to wring his foppish neck,

"_Our_ son Raoul, Henri is _our_ son," Christine said, and I could tell by her voice she was crying now,

"I need sleep Christine; I am leaving early for Paris tomorrow; goodnight," and with this I heard him approach the door and I disappeared into the shadows, slipping into my own room,

CJ was on the bed, and I saw vaguely that she was holding the locket in her hands. She was smiling at me but her smile quickly faded when she saw my face,

"What is wrong?" she asked as I sank down on the bed beside her,

I did not say anything for a moment, then I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to my chest, "I just overheard a conversation between Christine and the fop,"

"You were eavesdropping?"

"No,"

"Denial is good I guess; and by fop you mean Raoul?"

"That would be correct,"

"You can call him Raoul,"

"No, I will call him fop to the end of his days; which may come soon if I have anything to say about it," I said grimly,

"Threats are good too," CJ said sarcastically, "So what did you hear?"

"They were arguing; the fop did not think Bernadette would know how to act in high society,"

"I'll kill him," CJ said and I knew she was dead serious; the protective instincts mothers have for their children are freighting strong and I had no doubt CJ would beat the life out of anyone who she thought was treating Bernadette badly,

"You see?" I said, "And then Christine said Bernadette was so beautiful it would not matter what she did,"

"And Raoul, or the fop as I am going to call him, what did he say to that?"

"He said, and I quote, "She is quite beautiful, she looks a great deal like her mother,"

"What?" CJ tuned in my arms to look at me,

"Then there was an argument about if Christine still had feelings for me or not,"

"My God," CJ sighed,

"And the fop said he thinks his son is worthless," I shook my head, "He kept saying _your_ son to Christine; it was sick,"

"So how should we kill the bastard?" CJ asked me, fumbling with the locket in her hands,

"I don't know," I muttered, "Where did you find the locket?"

"It was by the bed; I must have taken it off without realizing it,"

"And you made me walk all the way to the dinning room? All for nothing?" I teased her as I took the locket and hung it around her neck once again,

"Thank you darling," she said to me as she turned down the lamp and the room fell into darkness;

CJ wrapped her arms around me and settled comfortably against my chest. It felt so good to have her next to me; there was a strange pleasure I received from knowing she was mine; CJ belonged to me and nothing could take her away from me, not even the fop who thought she was beautiful.

"You're mine," I whispered to her, kissing her on the top of her head, "You belong to me,"

CJ pressed her lips to mine; she did not need to say it and neither did I but I belonged to her just as much; she held sway over me entirely and my soul was wholly in her keeping,

"My darling Erik," CJ said sleepily as her eyes closed and her head fell against my chest again.

I wondered what the hell I had gotten myself and my family mixed up in by agreeing to come to the de Chagny household; but at least I could spend more time with CJ and my daughter.


	5. New Plans

Sleeping late was a luxury CJ and I had not had in some time and we took full advantage. Normally we woke before nine and did not return home until after six; we were sorely understaffed at the police station and there was a lot of work to be done.

When I finally opened my eyes the large clock in the room said it was past ten. I blinked sleep out of my eyes and then focused on CJ. She lay curled next to me, her blond hair was fanned out on the crisp white pillow beneath her head and her large eyes were still peacefully shut.

I had always thought CJ looked beautiful when she slept; but I guess I was just an eager boy when it came to her because I could not wait for her to open her eyes so I could talk to her. I waited patiently however and let her sleep.

Eventually she wriggled and fluttered her eyes open, unveiling the bright light I always saw in her green eyes,

She smiled lazily as me, "Is it morning?"

"It is almost eleven," I said, reaching out and tucking a piece of her blond hair which had fallen into her eyes behind her ear,

"We should get up," She said, but she moved herself closer to me and rested her head on my chest, closing her eyes again,

"You are energetic this morning," I laughed at her as she lay against me,

"This bed is so comfortable," she groaned, "And so are you," she hit my stomach, "fatty,"

"Excuse me?" I grabbed her hand and pinned it around behind her back, twisting her wrist slightly,

"Ah! Alright, I give; you're a fine physical specimen," she laughed, but I kept hold onto her arm,

"And?" I prompted,

"And what?"

"And I am the most devastatingly handsome man you have ever seen," I whispered these words in her ear and then moved to kiss her neck,

CJ laughed so hard I felt her body shake against mine and she struggled briefly to free herself from my grasp but I held her tightly.

"If I say that will you let me go?" CJ asked me as I continued to kiss her, moving from her neck to her shoulder,

"Yes," I said, lifting my lips from her skin momentarily to speak,

"Than I won't say it," she said slyly, and I kissed her full on her lips,

"We really should get up," CJ said, cutting off my ideas for further intimate activity,

I sighed and released her hand, allowing her to rise from the bed,

"It looks gorgeous outside," CJ said, pulling the curtains of the window open and looking out, I came and stood beside her, gazing at the large, green fields and the tall trees dotting the horizon,

We stood for a moment, "Hungry?" I asked her,

"Starving," and she turned away from the window and went about readying herself for the day,

I headed for the bathroom which was attached to our room to wash my face. CJ was fiddling with her luggage and pulling out a dress; normally CJ wore trousers and men's work shirts, but on this trip she had packed a considerable amount of dresses; when I asked her why all she had said was 'for a change'

When I saw the one she was putting on I had to laugh to myself; it was one I had brought up from the opera which had once belonged to Christine. CJ had retooled it and made it considerably more fashionable,

"You remember where that dress came from, don't you?" I asked her as I found a pair of brown trousers,

"Yes, and I don't think she will recognize it; it's one of my favorites and I am going to wear it damn it," CJ said, checking her hair in the full length mirror next to the bed,

"I think she is going to recognize it," I said, removing my night shirt and then heading back to the bathroom to shave. I looked into the mirror; it had been a long time since I had looked at a mirror and hated what I saw,

I still thought I looked like a living corps as far as my face went, but I had come to terms with that, my rational being that if my wife, the most beautiful perfect woman in the world, was alright with it than everyone else could go to hell.

"Erik, I fully take back the fat comment; you should eat more," CJ said, and I saw she was leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, "You look too thin," she came to me and wrapped her arms around my from behind, "Your fit though," and she pounded her fist into my stomach,

I looked into the mirror and laughed; the funny thing about running all over Paris chasing suspects and riding horses up and down streets was that it made you much stronger, and did not allow for much additional weight gain,

CJ insisted on shaving my face; a task she always preformed admirably, and then she hurried me to get ready so we could eat.

When we got out into the hall I realized I did not really know where to go; it seemed that protocol would require us to find Christine, but I did not have any idea where she was,

"Well well, looks like you two are alive after all," Bernadette appeared at the end of the hall, "I was just coming up here to look for you two; you have held up breakfast for over two hours," She motioned for us to follow her,

"How did we do that?" CJ asked, sliding her arm through mine,

"Well, it is only polite to wait to eat with your guests, so Christine has been waiting for you," Bernadette led us down the stairs and toward the back of the house, "Her husband is not here, left this morning apparently, and her son…I don't know where he is,"

I exchanged a look with CJ, remembering the conversation I had overheard the night before.

Bernadette led us to a grand library and opened the large glass doors leading to the back porch and I saw there was a table set up outside and Christine was already sitting there, waiting for us.

"I found them," Bernadette said, addressing Christine,

"Oh good!" she looked up at both of us and I saw her eyes looked tired and there were dark circles under them, and in her voice there was a hint of worry she could not quite hide; and then I saw her eyes widen and I believed she recognized the dress, "Did…you both sleep well?" she continued to try to remain in control,

"Yes, very well," I said, sitting down across from her,

Breakfast was awkward as the dinner the night before had been. Throughout the meal I got the increasing feeling that Christine was having serious problems which were weighing quite heavily on her mind. I knew I was in no way obligated to help her; she had broken my heart, I did not owe her anything. However, as the years had passed I found it harder and harder to become angry at her; she had not completely destroyed my life, and now she seemed more a victim than I was.

At the police station we had to deal with victims of all kinds of crimes; and suddenly I saw Christine in this way, as someone who needed help.

"Bernadette, have you been out to the stables yet?" I asked her,

"No," she said, and her eyed widened at the prospect of visiting the horses,

"You are interested in riding as well?" Christine asked her,

"Oh yes, my parents let me ride their police horses several times; I absolutely love it," Bernadette said enthusiastically,

Christine nodded, and she motioned to the butler who was standing quietly behind her, "Will you kindly take Mademoiselle to see the stables?" the butler nodded,

Bernadette smiled excitedly and rose from her seat, "Are you both coming too?" she looked at CJ and me,

"We will come later, Bernadette," I said to her; I had mentioned the stables so that Bernadette had an excuse to leave and I could speak to Christine more candidly,

Bernadette quickly followed the butler toward the stables and out of sight,

"She is a wonderful girl; very bright, and very striking," Christine sounded almost wistful,

I looked searchingly at CJ, wondering how to approach the subject I wanted to approach and looking to CJ for inspiration,

She shrugged at me and shook her head; I decided to plunge right in,

"Christine is something worrying you?" I blurted out,

"Oh…no, nothing is wrong," She said looking down at the plate of food she had not eaten, and it did not take experience to tell that she was lying,

I sighed; time to show my hand, "Christine I heard you last night, I heard you talking to your husband,"

Christine continued to stare down at her food; her head drooped lower and her hand rose to her eyes, wiping away a tear and then she looked up at me; she eyes were red and her shoulders began to shake,

"Y-you heard…everything?" she choked out, and I nodded gently; Christine burst into tears, "I am sorry…you had to…hear that," she hiccupped out, "He is not…always…like that,"

"He had no right to say those things to you," I told her steadily,

"No, no he is right," Christine sobbed, "Our son will hardly leave his room and it is all my fault because I coddled him too much, and Raoul cannot even take me out in public with his friends because I always say the wrong thing,"

I was amazed at what she was saying; and there was more, "I try, I try to socialize the way he wants me to; I joined a ladies reading club, but I never understand the books the way the other ladies do and I always say something wrong and they all laugh at me," She was speaking frantically now, "We are supposed to be reading this book now," and she waved a book she had been holding in her lap, "It is full of nautical references I don't understand and I am going to make a big fool of myself again," she broke down into tears again,

"I am so sorry Erik," she muttered, "I never should have dragged you out here; it was just another stupid idea I had; I just want to help my son, and Raoul he…he gets so mad sometimes; and…he does not think I love him," she buried her face in her hands and shook with tears,

I looked over at CJ but she was staring at Christine. CJ did not hesitate before she moved to Christine and embraced her in her arms; I did not know if it was entirely proper, but CJ nodded to me and I wrapped my arms around both of them, holding them while Christine sobbed,

"Listen to me, Christine," CJ said finally, holding her by her shoulders and looking her in the eyes, "_None_ of this is your fault; your son went through a traumatic experience which would have been difficult for any child to recover from and he is going to be just fine,"

"Thanks to the two of you," Christine muttered,

"You love your son, Christine, you care for him, you are a good mother," I told her, "You did nothing wrong,"

"Than why is Raoul so mad at me?" She sounded as though she were going to cry again,

"I will talk to him," I said quickly, though I had no idea what I would say or if he would listen to me if I did confront him,

"And we are going to help you with this book thing," CJ told her, "By the time we are through with you you will be a veritable Voltaire,"

"Who?" Christine asked innocently, and I knew CJ had to fight not to roll her eyes,

"Never mind; let me see this book," CJ said and she took the book out of Christine's lap and opened it,

A strange look came over her face as she looked at the book,

"All the ladies love it," Christine muttered, "We have been reading it for a few weeks and I can't get around the boat references,"

CJ laughed out loud and Christine and I both stared at her; she had been kneeling next to Christine and now she fell back onto the porch floor, still laughing wildly,

"CJ what on earth is so funny?" I asked her, and she shook her head, standing and handing me the book,

I took it and opened it to the cover page, which read,

_The Red Sun at Night,_

_By _

_Christopher Johnson Eriksson _


	6. Conqueror

"What is the matter?" Christine asked miserably

"Nothing at all," CJ controlled her laughter, "I wrote this book,"

"But…wait…how? And who is Christopher Johnson Eriksson?" Christine asked in a bewildered voice,

CJ stared at me, "I am beginning to see how you convinced her you were an angel," she muttered,

"What?" Christine asked, not having heard what CJ said,

"Nothing…I made up the name, it is not a real person," CJ explained, "I used my initials, C and J, and then his name," she pointed at me,

Christine sat for a moment, digesting all this new information. Finally she smiled and spoke, "All the girls think the this Christopher Eriksson is some handsome, dashing sailor hiding his brilliant mind behind bulging muscles; I would love to tell them that it is actually a woman,"

"Let's keep that as our little secret," CJ said quickly, "If anyone finds out I will never be able to publish another word,"

We were about to continue our conversation but there was a shriek and a blur which suddenly caught our attention,

"It that…?" Christine asked, as CJ and I move in a trance like state to the edge of the porch,

"Oh my God…" CJ murdered,

"I don't believe it…" I gaped,

Our daughter was galloping across the large green lawns of the de Chagny estate; laughing wildly with her long dark hair flying out behind her. Her steed was a might black horse which ran like the wind and was in much better health than the police horses she was used to. This was a pure bread stallion and my daughter was riding it across the lawns. I held my breath as she came to a fence and then when flying over it, laughing with delight as she cleared it and landed on the other side,

"My apologies! I tried to stop her!" the distraught butler came running toward us with a panicked look on his face, "I told her not to ride it!"

"Is that Henri's horse?" Christine asked,

"I am afraid so," the butler said glumly,

"Henri never road him of course," Christine explained to us, "Raoul bought him a year ago, but he was so wild no one had ever ridden him…well no one but…"

"BERNADETTE!" CJ screamed, "Get over here!"

She must have somehow heard her, because Bernadette curbed the wild horse and made it trot over to us. We left the porch to meet her,

"Isn't he marvelous?" Bernadette said, patting the neck of the stallion,

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I yelled at her,

"Father," Bernadette stared at me, "I am not going to get hurt; the horse likes me," She smiled,

"Wonderful; the wild horse likes you, now get the hell off of it," I said, and I moved toward her, meaning to help her off the black stallion,

Being the spunky, sneaky girl that she was, Bernadette inched the horse backwards,

"Bernadette, get off that horse, it is not even yours," CJ said sternly,

"No one ever rides him!" Bernadette stated, "He wants exercise, and I don't think Henri would mind, would he?" She looked at Christine,

"I…well…no," she sputtered,

"Just let me ride him back to the stable," Bernadette pleaded, "You said that I could ride horses when we got here,"

"Yes, horses," I said, "Not wild animals,"

"Father," she begged, "Just to the stables,"

"Alright," I said, looking at CJ who was nodding reluctant agreement, "You can _walk_ him back to the stables,"

Bernadette's face lit up, "Thank you," she said, and then she gave the look, the mischievous flash came into her eyes and for a brief moment she reminded me exactly of me; Bernadette dug her heals into the back horse and wheeled him around, setting off toward the stables at a gallop,

"That girl will be the death of me," CJ sighed, but I saw she was smiling,

We turned and went back toward the house; however as we did so I looked up at one of the high windows. Squinting in the sun I saw one of the curtains fall back into place as a form quickly retreated from the window. I had no doubt the Henri had seen all that had just happened.

Around one in the afternoon the sky clouded over and darkened, threatening rain. This was perfect for our purpose however. CJ and I spent the entire afternoon explaining concepts of metaphor, symbolism, and anything else which seemed relevant to Christine. It was strange, I realized; she had become my student again.

"So you see, the struggle against the ocean is a metaphor for the struggles against, life," CJ explained as we heard the first role of thunder rumble the afternoon sky,

"I can understand that," Christine said determinately as she thumbed through the pages of the book,

"I think we have done enough for today, we don't want to do too much all at once," I stated, merely thinking that if we did much more explaining of mundane literary techniques I would scream,

"Erik, ever the teacher," Christine said smiling at me, and then there was an awkward silence as everyone remembered the last time I had been her teacher,

It was amazing to think how far we had come since then; and as much as I would have like to believe that I had had something to do with my own transformation, that I had pulled myself up by the boot straps and gain the life I was currently living; but I did not believe that. I knew CJ had dragged me kicking and screaming into a place where I could try to be what she needed.

She was a good person, the best in my mind. One only had to know that she was sitting in a room teaching a woman she had despised how to act so as not to look like a fool to know CJ was a cut above the rest. And she was my wife.

I smiled at her,

"What?" She stared back at me,

"Nothing," I said, still smiling,

"What?" she insisted, "Do I have something on my face?"

"No," I laughed at her,

"What!" she looked around to make sure Bernadette was occupied with something else, "Remember, I can still beat the living hell out of you,"

I raised my eyebrows at her but still said nothing. She shook her head and swatted me, then went to find a mirror to check her face in.

"How do you do it?" Christine asked me when we were alone, "How many years have you been married?"

I thought for a moment, "Almost seventeen," I responded,

"And you still act as though you were newlyweds," She glanced down sadly at her hands in her lap, "I sometimes thought I had made a mistake," she whispered softly, "When Raoul started to…I thought back and I wondered if I had been wrong to leave you,"

I felt my heart beat quicken; not because she was saying what I wanted her to say, but because I felt panicked at what I no longer wanted to hear. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I felt like running out of the room,

"But I knew the first time I saw you two together in Paris; you did not know I was there, I saw you two in a store, picking out cloth for curtains. I will never forget it," She said with a small laugh, "She wanted green and you thought it looked hideous,"

I tried to remember the instance she was talking about, and tried not to think about the fact that she had been watching us with out our knowledge; which I guess was only fair after all the times I had spied on her,

"I thought you were going to get into a fight over it; because that would have been what would have happened between my and Raoul…but you laughed about it; you said the green looked like pond scum and she said she thought it suited you; then she kissed you, right there in the store, and you agreed to buy the green cloth,"

Now I remembered; indeed I had thought the cloth possessed a hue reminiscent of pond scum; but the green curtains still hung in our dinning room and as CJ had said, they looked fine. It was however, disturbing to me that she had remembered all this in such detail.

"Then I realized you two were meant to be together," She sighed; her eyes had become slightly bright and I did not know what to do to console her,

Brilliant as always in her timing, CJ returned at that moment,

"What did I miss?" CJ asked, sitting down beside me and resting her hand on my knee,

This simple show of affection was too much for Christine; who stood suddenly, muttering her excuses, and then quickly leaving the room,

Bernadette watched her go, lifting her eyes momentarily from her book,

"What was that all about?" she asked us,

"Nothing," I said, though now I was facing identical skeptical looks from both my wife and my daughter.

Dinner was delayed several hours that night due to the fact that the storm prevented the fop from returning home on time. I could not help but wonder if it really was the fault of the storm, or if that was just a convenient excuse.

When the fop finally did return to his home, dinner was served much as it had been the night before. We sat in the exact same spots, and Henri again joined us, making his fist appearance of the day.

"Well," The dandy tried to break the awkward silence at the table, "What went on here today?"

Neither I nor CJ made any attempt to respond. I watched Christine's eyes as she searched for something to say, then it came to her,

"Bernadette road Conqueror today," she offered, and I assumed that Conqueror was the name of the horse; it was a stupid name,

The fop looked stunned, "Really?" and he turned his head to my daughter; my hand involuntarily clenched into a fist as he looked at her,

"Yes, he is a marvelous horse," Bernadette replied and her eyes lit up, "He was a bit feisty at first, but then he was absolutely wonderful,"

"A bit feisty!" The fop laughed, "I should say so! I have had every trainer in France come and try to break him and they all failed miserably!" he shook his head, "I should hire you!"

"It really was nothing," Bernadette said modestly,

"Nothing!" the fop continued, "No one has been able to get near that thing since we bought him; why you should have seen what happened when Henri tried to ride him,"

At these words I saw Henri tense and close his eyes slightly, as if praying for his father not to continue. Unfortunately his prayer was not answered,

"He reared up on his hind legs and ended up breaking the stall we had him in; Henri ran out and has not been to the stables since," he finished his story with a laugh and then continued eating as though he had not just broken his son's heart,

I looked at Henri and saw he was looking down at his plate, but his face looked red and I saw his hand shake slightly as he played with his food with his fork,

Suddenly Henri looked up, "Father, may I be excused?" and he fought to keep the emotion out of his voice,

"No, we have not finished eating yet," He snapped, and Henri's face grew redder and his eyes became bright,

"Please Father, I am not feeling well," He begged, and this time his voice shook noticeably,

"You are fine, now finish-" He started, and then he was cut off,

"Actually, I was not going to mention it, but I am not feeling well either," Bernadette, ever perceptive, went along with the lie, and held her stomach,

"Nor am I," CJ stated, "It must have been something we ate,"

"Oh…well…" The fop began, but before he could go any further we all excused ourselves at once and ran from the table,

There was nothing left to do but go up to the rooms and feign illness, so he headed up the stairs. Before she entered her room I pulled Bernadette by the arm, "That was a very good thing you just did," I whispered to her, and she smiled and nodded back at me,

"I thought it would be best; see you later!" and she went into her room,

CJ stood by our door, "Are you coming?" she asked,

"Soon," I said, "I need to have a chat with someone first,"


	7. Grateful

I had every intention of going to the fop that moment and telling him exactly what I thought of him. I was halfway down the hallway before I realized that taking to him would probably not help anyone, it would just make me feel better.

So I knocked on another door instead,

"Who is it?" Bernadette called from inside,

"Your father; I need to speak with you,"

She opened the door and looked worried, "Is something wrong?" she asked,

"No, no," I said, coming into her room, "I just need to talk to you about something," I went over to the large window and leaned with my back against it. Bernadette sat in a chair facing me, her hands folded in her lap, waiting for me to speak,

"I need to talk to you about why we came here," I started slowly, "I know you did not want to, and your mother thought it was a bad idea to, but I have me reasons," She just looked up at me and blinked, so I continued,

"When he was very young, Henri was kidnapped by a terrible man; he was missing for days before your mother and I found him, and when we did he was alone in a dark basement, bound and gagged to a chair,"

Her eyes widened, "that's awful," she whispered,

"Yes, it was," I sighed, "When a child experiences something like that it is very hard for them to recover," I spoke from the experience of being locked in a basement myself, "And that is why Henri is so shy,"

"I understand that Father," Bernadette said,

"Wait, there is more," I took a deep breath, "Bernadette," and I hesitated another moment before I plunged on, "before your mother came along no one would give me the time of day; because of my face," she looked sadly at me and I had to look away; I did not want to see pity for me in my own daughters eyes, "I was very lonely and very sad; if not for your mother reaching out to me I would still be living a tortured life all by my self,"

Bernadette got up from her chair and came over to be, wrapping her arms around me; I returned her embrace tightly,

"Now I am not saying I want you to fall in love with him," I said sternly, earning a slight giggle from my daughter, "I just want you to try as hard as you can to help him," I patted the back of her dark head,

"I will," she said, pulling back and smiling at me; she had her mother's smile, "I will go and see him right now if you want me to,"

I nodded, "I will walk you there; you should ask him to come down and join you in the library or something along those lines,'

Bernadette nodded and we made for the door. When we got back in the hallway she told me to stop and to wait for her as she ran back into her room. When she came out again she was holding a deck of cards.

We reached the door of Henri's room and Bernadette knocked loudly, "Henri?' she called, and there was no answer, but we did hear a rustling coming from the inside; he did not want to come to the door,

"Henri!" Bernadette called again, and again she was met with silence She sighed, "I can be stubborn to you know," she said exasperatedly, "I am going to sit right here out side the door until you come out," she smiled at me, "You can go if you want; I will be fine here,"

I smiled at her and kissed the top of her head, "Thank you," I whispered, and I turned to walk away as Bernadette sat down, back to the door, and began to play with the cards she had brought,

I was very grateful for my daughter; there was no feeling more wonderful than knowing I had helped create such a beautiful, kind creature. I thought about myself when I had been her age; alone and miserable, and I wondered what would have happened if I had had someone try to befriend me then. I might have been better, I thought, it would have been better.

Reaching our room I opened the door to find CJ sitting up in bed, looking carelessly through a book. She looked up as I entered,

"You were gone for awhile," she smiled at me and tossed her book aside, "Come over here and hold me,"

I laughed as I did what I was told and climbed onto the bed, wrapping my arms around her,

"Who did you go and talk to?" she asked me,

"Our daughter," I said

"About?"

"Henri,"

"What did you say?"

"I told her about what happened to him when he was younger, and how I would like her to try very hard to help him because I was once alone to, and if it had not been for you I still would be,"

I followed the jailors as they walked toward the cell, unseen and unheard by either of them. They were talking callously about their affairs and cared little for their task at hand. I wanted to scream out to them; I wanted to knock them to the floor because I knew what they were going to do and I ha to stop them.

It was no use however, I was a helpless spectator.

They approached the cell and I could see her inside. She lay on her back on the dirty bench, her blond hair tangled beneath her head and her eyes were blood shot. Worst of all there was an iron cuff around her neck, chaining her to the wall.

I somehow moved into the cell before the jailors reached her. I knelt down beside her,

"CJ," I whispered, and though her eyes were open they stared straight upwards and she did not turn to face me or acknowledge that I was there.

The door burst open and the jailors bound her wrists before they unchained her neck and led her away.

I followed desperately, knowing what was about to happen but powerless to stop it. She entered the candle lit room Dumas was in,

"Live or die, decide right now," He said to her, and I fell on my knees beside her,

"Please, please don't say it," I begged, but she paid no attention to me,

"Die," she said stoically, "I have nothing to live for," and I tried to shake her, to gain her attention but she still did not look at me, instead she rose from her chair,

She was in front of the guns now, glaring at them as though they could not hurt her. I stood in front of her and grabbed her shoulders,

"No," I shook her, "this is not how it happens; you live and you are happy, we fall in love and have a daughter, you have to come with me now," and I tried to move her; but she did not look at me, and she would not move. She did not even blink as the guns went off.

I hoped the bullet would hit me instead but it never did. She doubled over, red spilling from her chest s she fell limply into my arms. I tried to stop the bleeding, but I knew it was too late; the bullet had gone right though her heart…

I woke up and I knew it had all been a dream; I had had it many times before whenever I thought about how my life would have been changed if I had never met CJ. It was strange, I knew it was a dream while I was having it, but it still felt real and I still woke up shaking.

Looking over I was happy to see I had not awakened her; she worried when I had unpleasant dreams. Moving closer to her I took her in my arms and pulled her to me. She smiled pleasantly in her sleep and settled against me. I sighed; she had been my wife for sixteen years and I still had a hard time believing she was really mine.


	8. Tea Party

Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long to write…I hope everyone is still enjoying this story and I promise, I am going somewhere fun with all of this! And please, tell me what you think! I love reviews!

Over the next week I saw much more of Henri than I had ever thought possible. He came out of his room once or twice every day, and on these occasions he was found one step behind my daughter, doing whatever she was doing. She taught him the magic tricks I had showed her, she played on the piano with him, and she even convinced him to go horseback riding now and then.

Christine could not stop thanking CJ and I, and whenever she was parted with Henri, Bernadette as well. She was so bubbling with praise I thought she was going to burst. She was also very thankful for the tutelage she was receiving form us, and she informed us that it was her turn for the book club to meet at her house that Thursday.

"You are invited to join us, or course, CJ," she smiled at CJ,

CJ sighed, "Alright, I'll join you," and she looked sidelong at me, and by her expression I could tell that she had no desire to sit in a room full of tea drinking aristocrats and hear their half wit analysis of her own novel. I hid my laughter slightly as I thought of seeing CJ along side a bunch of stuffy old nags.

When the day came, the ladies arrived promptly, and CJ and I watched them come in from the window in the foyer; CJ looked at me as though I had sold her to the enemy,

"It can't be that bad," I said to her, laughing,

"Oh what a marvelous vase! You have to tell me all about it!" a shrill voice said as the group of women entered, and CJ glared at me,

"Maybe it can be that bad," I said to her, still laughing,

She slapped my arm, "I blame you for this," she said, then she heaved a sigh, "Well, I have to go; if I don't come back in an hour, you have to come in and rescue me,"

I kissed her quickly goodbye and watched her walk over to Christine,

"Ladies," Christine beamed as CJ approached, "This is Candice Joselyn Phann; a very good friend of mine,"

"You can call me CJ," she said, addressing the ladies,

"What a peculiar name," said the eldest of the woman, and she did not bother to hide her apparent disgust for CJ's appearance in her tone of voice,

"I was going to say the same thing about that hat you are wearing; but I though as a lady it was better not to mention that it looks…hideous," CJ said mildly with out missing a beat. I laughed under my breath from the corner I had slunk into so as to spy on them. This was something I had not done intentionally in years, and I had planned on taking a walk that day, but I decided at this moment this was something I could not miss,

When Christine led the woman into the tea room, I followed at a safe distance and planted myself outside where I could hear them but they could not see me.

"Well, why don't you tell us more about yourself?" the same cruel woman with the ugly hat spoke to CJ as they all sat down, "what does your husband do?"

"How is telling you what my husband does telling you something about me?" CJ asked, "Wouldn't it be just telling you something about my husband?"

"It let's us know what kind of a life you lead," the woman responded coldly, "I have never heard of the name Phann before, what nationality is it?"

Ha, I laughed, my last name was made up by a slightly crazed police captain,

"I don't know what nationality it is," CJ said calmly,

"Really?" the woman feigned interest but could not disguise her cruel excitement as a situation which could be potentially humiliating for CJ, "And what does he do again?"

"He is a police lieutenant," CJ said proudly,

"Oh my! A working man? And only a lieutenant?" the woman laughed, "I admire you Madame Phann; if my husband had such a job, I would hardly be able to show my face in public!" she laughed, "Now Christine, how is that son of yours? Still locking himself in his room?"

"Well, he is still rather shy, but…" Christine responded but the woman interrupted her,

"Still shy? What a pity; you know what my son did last week? Oh it was marvelous! He won a fencing championship! Do you remember, Christine, when the boys were younger and your Raoul insisted that you enter your son in the fencing tournament along with mine? And then before his first match your son got sick all over one of the judges and had to leave? What a moment! I will never forget it!" she laughed wickedly,

"Oh, Madame DuPont," Christine interjected, "that is a lovely dress you are wearing," she was trying to turn the subject,

"Yes, it is lovely is it not?" Madame DuPont addressed CJ again, "It is the latest fashion from Paris; what do you think of it Madame Phann? Not that you will know much about fashion; I do not think such knowledge spreads to the…lower classed," there was a murmur of agreement from the aristocratic ladies around her,

"Oh I absolutely agree with you, I hardly know a thing about fashion," CJ said, and I recognized her tone from the interrogation room; it was the one she used right before she cracked the mind of whomever we were questioning right open,

"I am afraid that it takes much more to stimulate me than frills and bows, but I understand you ladies of the upper class have much less actual education and therefore have no idea what you are missing in the real world," CJ paused to let this sink in, "But I will say, since you asked Madame DuPont, I really do think that dress is stunning; the way the fabric is and the way the bodice is cut, I can hardly even tell that you are pregnant,"

"Father?" a whisper at my elbow made me jump,

"God, Bernadette,' I gasped, "You startled me,"

"What are you doing?" she asked me,

"Spying on your mother; she is in with Christine's book club," I responded in a whisper,

"Henri told me about them," Bernadette whispered back, "he said they were always very cruel to his mother; they call her stupid and they always brag about the things their children do, knowing that Henri does not compete with them,"

"Well now they have a new target," I said,

"How is Mother doing?" Bernadette asked,

"She just told one of them she looked pregnant,'

Bernadette stifled her laughter, "Can I listen with you?"

I nodded and motioned for her to stand next to me so she could hear,

"How did I get out of joining this book club?" Bernadette asked me suddenly,

"Your mother thought you were too young to die," I said sarcastically under my breath, and Bernadette gave another short laugh,

"Madame Phann, I am not pregnant," Madame DuPont said angrily, despite the attempts of several others to change the subject she would not let CJ's comment go,

"Really?" CJ said slyly, "Than perhaps you should think twice about that crumpet you are holding?" Bernadette and I both nearly died of silent laughter,

"You little pauper! How dare you speak to me like that! Do you have any idea who I am?" Madame DuPont yelled,

"Yes," CJ said calmly, "You are a cranky old self important nag, and you have no other form of validation in your life so you cling to trying to make others feel as low and unimportant as you do,"

"I will not be spoken to like that by a police man's wife," Madame DuPont shrieked, trying desperately to draw an insult from what she knew did not seem to phase CJ at all, "Christine, I demand that this woman leave our book club at once,"

There was a pause, "Christine," Madame DuPont said in an irritated voice, "She has to leave; I insist, and you do not want to upset me; you do not have enough friends for that,"

Christine did not say anything for a long moment and I was beginning to wonder if she had fainted or something when I finally heard her speak, "I will not," she said,

"Pardon me?" Madame DuPont sounded enraged,

"CJ and her family are good friends of mine and I will not make her leave," Christine's voice grew stronger as she spoke, "I do, however, think you should leave my house at once Madame DuPont,

"Well I never!" Madame DuPont sounded scandalized, "Christine, I always thought you were a daft girl, but I never suspected you were this moronic,"

"Moronic, a three syllable word, I did not think you knew any, Madame DuPont," Christine said, and I remembered going over how to count the syllables in a word with her, "Now please leave," she spoke firmly now,

"If you make me go, you can consider your social life dead; what will your husband say about that?" Madame DuPont threatened,

"At least I will not look pregnant in my dress," Christine shot back, and I have to admit I was impressed; I had not known she had had it in her

"I am leaving!" Madame DuPont yelled, "Come along girls," but by the fact that I did not hear the sounds of chairs moving backwards or springs being relieved of their weight, none of the other girls moved,

"So this is how it is?" Madame DuPont, "Well, if you would all rather stay with the poor girls, than fine! But you will regret this!" and she stormed off, walking through the doors and past Bernadette and I, who had quickly pretended as though we had not been listening to the whole affair,

When she was gone we listened again,

"She had quite a temper," Christine sighed,

"I do not think we should judge her too harshly," CJ said, catching everyone off guard, "I mean after all," she paused, "We all know that pregnancy can make you act strangely," there was a burst of laughter from the other room, which was good because it covered mine and Bernadette's which we could hold back no longer,


	9. The love of another

The meeting went on for another hour, but I had no interest in listening to it now and Bernadette went off to find Henri, so I settled down in a chair in the office room and started on a book I had been meaning to read for ages.

I had not been at it long when I realized someone else was standing in the room with me. I looked up to see Henri before me, twisting his hands nervously behind his back,

"Can I help you?" I asked, and I tried not to sound too intimidating,

"W-well, Monsieur, I have been meaning to ask you something…" he trailed off and I wondered what he could possibly have to ask me,

"Y-you see," he stuttered uncertainly, and his face grew red and his eyes darted all around the room as if searing for help from the surrounding furniture,

For a moment he reminded me of his mother, the way she used to look so shy and helpless around me when I was teaching her, so young and eager to please. I could not stand to see that look repeated on the face of her son,

"What is it?" I demanded, hoping my force of voice would drag what ever it was out of him,

"Well, Monsieur," he began again, and then he stopped and made to leave the room; at the door he turned around again, "This is what I have to ask Monsieur," he came back determined, "I…I am…I think…I love your daughter,"

I almost fell out of my seat; then I almost had a heart attack, and then I almost hit the boy in the face for even thinking about my daughter, "What?" was about all I could manage to gasp out,

"I know we have only known each other for a short time, and that we are both very young,"

"Damn right you are both too young," I interjected angrily, "You are far too young to be thinking about love,"

"I know Monsieur," he said desperately, "but ever since the moment I saw her I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world; and she is so sweet to me, and she is wild and confidents and smart," he turned to look at me with love struck eyes, "I just want your permission to court her; I will wait years to marry her if I have to,"

I was still fuming; deep down I had always known that one day some boy would want to take my daughter away from me, but I had hoped that would not happen until she was older; around forty or so. She was only sixteen and this boy said he loved her. I cursed myself for bringing her here; what had I been thinking? That they would just be friends and nothing more? I would not allow it; they were too young and this was too soon,

"No," I said firmly, rising out of my chair to stand; I was quite a bit taller than Henri, "I will not allow it,"

For what might have been the first time in his life Henri did not slink back to his room in defeat when challenged, "I cannot take no for an answer," I said, and his voice was shaky but he held his ground,

Damn him, why did he have to grow a backbone when it came to my daughter? "I said no," if he thought he could be more stubborn than me he was sourly mistaken,

"Please Monsieur," he begged, "I promise you no one else cares for her like I do, except you and your wife of course; all I ask is that you allow me to take her out to Paris, supervised of course,"

"Of course," I muttered, and I shook my head; I had known this day would come but I was not ready to embrace it quite yet, "Give me some time to think about it," I said finally, and he nodded and waited a moment, "I am not going to answer you now," I said,

"Yes, alright…yes, than when will you answer?" he asked,

"I do not know," I said vaguely,

"Soon?' he pressed,

"Listen," I said firmly, "You have just asked me for permission to let you take my _only_ daughter, my _baby_ _girl_, off to _Paris_ where you are going to try to put your arm around her and take her hand," a sudden thought shot painfully through my mind and I reached out and shook him by the shoulders, "If you _ever_ touch her lips I will slit your throat,"

Henri looked fearfully at me and I did not blame him; I was dead serious and I let my eyes show it, "I swear I will not," he stuttered,

I let go of him, "I will tell you what I have decided when I have decided,"

Henri nodded and left me alone in my new found turmoil…

"He said what?" CJ laughed,

"He said he loved her," I sighed; I was explaining the situation with Henri to CJ as we prepared to go down to dinner,

"That is so sweet," CJ said, and I stared at her,

"Sweet?" I said angrily, "It is sick; they hardly know each other, and they are still children,"

"Erik," she looked sweetly at me as I sat on the side of the bed and she came over to me, settling down in my lap she wrapped her arms around my neck and stroked the back of my head, "She is young yes, but she is not a child," she kissed me lightly, "If she wants to go we should let her,"

I grumbled, "I still remember holding her for the first time; she was so little,"

CJ held me tighter, "I know; I remember the night she was born," she sighed, "That was a long time ago,"

We sat in silence for some time, thinking over the past sixteen years and all we had done, "We did a good job bringing her up Erik," CJ said softly, "Now we have to start to let go,"

"I suppose…" I sighed, but I still did not want to send my baby girl off with any boy,

"Come on, we have to go down eventually," CJ said, getting up out of my lap, but I was not willing to let her go just yet; I pulled her down and trapped her underneath me on the bed,

"Erik," she laughed as I kissed her neck,

"You are wonderful," I said as I stroked her hair and pressed my lips to hers, "listening to you today at the meeting; you were magnificent," I buried my face in her neck,

"Thank you darling, I was rather magnificent, wasn't I?" she smiled and I let my hands trace the curves of her figure,

"I have never heard anything like it," I took her lips with mine again

She laughed, "Even Christine joined in, I think is was good for her; that woman really was God awful,"

"Well I don't think she will be a problem for some time," I murmured into her ear as I placed my hand on her thigh,

"Erik, we can't; we have to go," CJ stopped me and I looked disappointedly into her bright green eyes,

"After dinner?" I begged,

"Yes," she laughed, "after dinner,"

We went out into the hall where Bernadette was waiting for us,

"Mother," she said seriously, holding her stomach, "Does this dress make me look pregnant?"

CJ dissolved into a fit of laughter, "Not at all, Dette, not at all,"

"What a relief," Bernadette laughed with her mother and slid her arm into hers. This was what I liked to see; the two women who meant the most to me laughing together.

The mood in the dinning room was considerably less cheery. We all took our usual seats; and I glanced across the table at Raoul. He had been gone all day again and had missed the excitement of the book club. Something must have been bothering the fop however, because he was looking even more cross than usual.

"How was everything here today?" He asked Christine,

"Just fine," she said, and her eyes quickly darted to CJ, and both women smiled,

"The book club went well?" He spoke in a very irritated voice which made him sound as though he were trying to contain his anger,

"Very well, I thought," Christine responded,

"Well, Monsieur DuPont did not think so when his wife came crying to him because of what _you_ said," There was a moment of silence all around the table, "I thought you knew better than to anger her; you know we need her, thankfully I was able to secure the deal anyway,"

Christine looked up with a shocked expression, "You…you promised you would not go any further with things until we talked about it more,"

I was completely lost and by the looks of things so was everyone except Raoul and Christine,

"There was nothing more to talk about; this is best," Raoul said firmly,

"But…" Christine began,

"We will not discuss this further here, and that is final," he said harshly,

Looking at her, I could tell that whatever confidence Christine had gained in herself that day was now gone. She looked glumly down at her food and did not say another word.

After this awkward meal Bernadette followed CJ and I back to our room,

"Mother, Father, there is something I need to ask you," she said, and I tensed; hoping this would not be about Henri,

"It is about Henri," Damn, "I think he asked you for permission to take me out to Paris," She began uncertainly,

"He did, but I have not yet answered him," I said firmly, "And I don't plan to for some time yet so you can just wait until your Mother and I have decided,"

"Yes, that I what I thought you would say; but here is what I wanted to talk to you about…I…I don't want to sound mean, but I want you to say no to him," she said,

I felt like all my dreams had come true at once; but CJ said,

"Why do you want us to deny his request? Don't you like him?"

"Well, yes, but I rather think he likes me much more," Bernadette explained, and CJ and I exchanged glanced, knowing full well this was quite true, "And I don't want him to get the wrong idea about our relationship; and I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I just don't feel the same way about him; I don't have _those_ kinds of feelings for him,"

"Of course we will say no to him, we were only contemplating it because we thought you might want to go," I said quickly, before she could change her mind, "I will tell him tomorrow afternoon,"

"Wait," CJ said, "Why are you denying him so quickly? Why don't you give him a chance?"

"CJ," I said sternly, "The girl said she is not interested in him, let it be,"

"No," CJ stared at me, "Bernadette, why don't you just give him a chance? You might like him once you get to know him better,"

Bernadette considered for a moment, "Perhaps, but I doubt it; he is very sweet but he is so…I don't know, shy, and unadventurous; he barley leaves his room,"

"If you two went to Paris he would be leaving his room," CJ pointed out, and all I wanted was for her to be quiet; did she want us to lose our daughter?

"Mother; I just…" Bernadette pleaded,

"She said that she does not want to go, so she does not have to go," I said firmly,

"Thank you Father," Bernadette embraced me, and then her mother, and then she walked off to her room.


	10. Into the Woods

I was looking forward to the next day, because the next day was one CJ and I had completely to ourselves. There was nothing, no meeting, no Christine crisis, nothing which was going to stop CJ and I from spending our entire day together.

The day dawned bright and warm, and after a late start we ambled lazily down to the woods behind the estate, walking under the trees on a small path,

"This is so relaxing," CJ murmured, her hand in mine, "I just can't believe there are no cab's running into us or people pushing by; I think I have been in the city too long,"

I nodded, "It seems almost strange; not having all the city noise,"

"I think…" but then CJ trailed off, hearing what I heard; the beating of hooves behind us. Quickly we jumped off the trail, reacting more on instinct than anything else, and we saw two mounted horses speeding toward us,

"Bernadette!" CJ laughed as our daughter rained in her horse after spotting us, "Are you and Henri trying to run your father and I to the ground?" Henri was indeed on the other horse, riding next to her,

"No! We were racing," she explained, "And I was going to win, but I stopped when I was you two," she smiled and patted the neck of her black steed Conqueror,

"And what do you two have planned for today?" I asked

"Just this; a race into the forest," Bernadette replied,

"Don't go too far in," CJ warned, "I don't want you getting lost or hurt,"

"Mother," Bernadette laughed, "You cannot get lost, there is a clear path! I would have to be daft to get lost in here!"

"Be careful all the same," CJ said, going to the black horse and running her hand over his thick neck,

"We will Mother," Bernadette turned to Henri, "Are you ready for me to beat you again?" she gave him a sly smile and I almost felt bad for the boy; he was in love with someone who was not interested in him.

"I wish she would just agree to go to Paris with him," CJ sighed as we watched the two disappear around a bent, their horses set at a gallop,

"Why on earth do you wish that?" I bristled, "She says she does not love him; and besides, she is too young,"

"And when in your mind will she be old enough to date Erik?" CJ asked me, one eyebrow raised,

"When she is…thirty or so," I said slowly,

"Do you see my point?" CJ laughed,

"Maybe; but we should not force her to do something she does not want her to do," I was going to stick to my point,

"Erik, this whole visit here was you forcing her to do something she did not want to do, or don't you remember her pleading not to come here in the first place?" I hated it when CJ was right,

"Well…that is different," but I knew that it was not,

"How is that different? Or did you just want to rub out beautiful daughter and happy marriage in the face of Christine and Raoul de Chagny?"

"CJ! I can't believe you would say that!" I was not sure it was so far from the truth however,

"Well? Tell me I am wrong Erik," CJ said

"I thought you knew; the reason I wanted to come was to help the boy…I know what it is like to be completely isolated; I was unhappy and alone for a long time before I met you…and I would like to spare someone that experience if I could," I explained my feelings as best I could,

CJ sighed, "If you say so,"

Walking after that was not as enjoyable as I thought it would be. I did not notice how peaceful and lush everything was, I only thought about what CJ had suggested. Had I only wanted to come here to fulfill some subconscious revenge fantasy of mine? I had to admit that there was a good chance of it; the tables were finally turned and I was happy and they were not. Why wouldn't I want to come and show them that?

And if that was the truth, than I owed my family an apology. I was about to speak again when CJ and I heard a noise that was only too familiar to us. It was a sound we had heard so many times in our life we did not even start at the loud bang, but it was unexpected, to hear a gun shot in the woods.

CJ and I looked at each other, only one thought between us, "Bernadette," we both whispered at the same time, and then we set off at a run. I don't think my legs have ever moved so fast in all my life. A million horrid scenarios flashed through my head as I thought about what could be happening ahead of us, deeper into the forest.

There was the slight chance that it did not involve my daughter, but I had a sinking feeling that it did.

We ran down the twisting path for nearly a mile; we were both panting like mad but the thought of our daughter in trouble urged us both on. It was not until we tore around a sharp bend that we saw Bernadette.

She and Henri were still on their horses, their backs to us. In front of them I could see sneering men; highwaymen.

CJ and I were both armed; a habit of living in the city. It was only because of experiencing many intense situations in our careers that we did not simply run at the highwaymen or just break down crying or screaming.

What we had to do was obvious; one of us would go to each side of the group of bandits, and then take alternating shots at them until they were all dead on the forest floor. I looked at CJ and she nodded; knowing what I was thinking without me saying it; another byproduct of working together for so long.

Slowly, we both slunk into the trees on either side of the path, stealthily approaching the group. As we inched silently forward I could hear what was being said,

"We said you could go boy; so get out of here before we change our minds," One of the men spoke harshly to Henri, pointing his gun at him. Henri's horse shied as the barrel of the gun was pointed in its direction, "All we want is the girl," anger burned within me as I saw them eyeing my daughter; I moved faster through the dense trees,

"Get off the horse darling," one of them called to Bernadette,

"No," She said firmly, and by the tone of her voice she was not as panicked as she could have been,

"Fine darling, have it your way," the same man responded, and then he raised his gun to the horse. He let the gun go off and shot the beautiful black horse right between the eyes. I shuttered as I saw the horse fall and my daughter with it. I began to run as I saw the group of men move toward Bernadette and pull her away from the dead horse,

"Wait!" I heard Henri say, "It would be foolish of you to take her and not me; you don't know who I am! I am the son of the Vicomte de Chagny; if you take me instead he would pay a considerable amount to get me back!"

I was impressed that Henri would say this to help my daughter, "Just send her back; she can take a message to my father, with the money he can pay you you will be able to buy anything you want,"

The men seemed to consider this for a moment, then one spoke, "Or we could take you both,"

"But then how would you get the message to my father?" Henri argued, "You would have to send one of your own, and then you would risk getting caught,"

"Wait! I think I have solved the problem," one of the men spoke; I was in position by now and ready to shoot, the only issue now was that the man had suddenly grabbed Bernadette and was holding her in front of him; if I shot now I risked missing and killing my own daughter,

"You see son," the man holding Bernadette; who was struggling as best she could to free herself, spoke to Henri, "We have been hiding in the woods for many nights, and we have been missing the company of beautiful women like this," I clenched my fist around the handle of my pistol and aimed the gun at the man's head,

"Just get away from him for a moment," I whispered, willing Bernadette to hear me, "Just a moment,"

"So after," the man continued, "After we all get a turn with her; we will send her back to your father,"

At the moment Bernadette gave me the chance I had been waiting for. With all the strength she could muster, she thrust her elbow into his stomach, causing his grip on her to loosen enough for her to break free.

A moment later the man lay dead with a bullet in his head; and then CJ's gun went off and took down another member of the group. The fact that the noise was coming from two completely different directions confused the highwaymen, giving CJ and I enough time to reload before they began to shoot back,

Thankfully Bernadette and Henri were not as frozen as the bandits; Bernadette swung up on Henri's horse and he dug his heels into the horse's side, wheeling it around and racing it back toward the de Chagny estate.

CJ and I shot again, taking out two more. The remaining members of the group split and came after us in both directions. CJ and I were outnumbered, and there was only one logical thing for me to do and I assumed CJ would do it as well. I climbed a tree and let the men rush past me.

I waited in the tree, listening to the commotion below me. Finally the search was abandoned in my side of the woods, and one of the men said they thought they saw someone run in the other direction so they all ran into the woods were CJ had been. I hoped to God that they had not found her.

By the time I felt it was safe to come out of the tree and look for CJ the day was almost spent. My body was sore from clinging to the tree and my legs felt numb as I walked on them, but I had more important things on my mind; my family.

I went cautiously out onto the path, standing next to the dead form of Conqueror; it was a very sad sight really; the once proud and untamable steed now lay motionless, never to run again. Bernadette would be heartbroken; but I hoped she would be safe.

I head a slight rustle and I looked up; CJ was coming out onto the path. She ran to me and embraced me tightly; "You are alright?" she asked me,

"Yes, I'm fine," I stroked the back of her head and held her close to me,

"We should go," she whispered, and I nodded. We walked back through the trees on the left of the path, not wanting to be discovered in the open. The walk back was nerve-racking, not only was I worrying madly about how Bernadette was, I also thought that at any moment, a bullet could come shooting out of the trees and strike down CJ or me.

We were almost to the edge of the woods and the sun was sinking when we heard something behind us. There was a loud rustling sound, but what it was neither of us would ever know because we both set off at a sprint and did not stop until we reached the door of the de Chagny manor.

Out of breath and worried out of our minds we entered the house. Immediately one of the maids called out and there was the sound of approaching footsteps as Christine burst into the foyer,

"Thank God!" she cried, embracing us both in her emotional state,

"Where…?" I questioned, hardly able to talk after our taxing run,

"Bernadette and Henri are fine," Christine said quickly, "this way,"

Christine led us to the salon, where Bernadette and Henri were seated on a sofa. I was far too grateful to see her safe to care about the fact that Henri had his arms wrapped around her and she had her head buried in his chest,

At the sound of us entering, Bernadette looked up and ran to us; CJ and I embraced her simultaneously. For a moment there were only tears, and then CJ spoke,

"I told you to be careful!" she said, hugging Bernadette tighter,

"It was not my fault!" Bernadette cried, "They just…"

"I know, I know," CJ interrupted, just grateful she was alright,

"So…so it was you two who shot the men in the woods?" Bernadette questioned,

"Yes it was us," I told her, staring at her, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said softly, "I was so worried, I didn't know where you two were," for a moment I felt as though she was just a child again,

"You all look exhausted," Christine said gently, "Why don't you sit down? I will see that some food is brought in," she bustled out of the room,

CJ and I sat down, and Bernadette moved back to Henri. By the way she was leaning against him, it seemed I would need to let her go to Paris after all.


End file.
